The present invention relates to computing systems, and more specifically, to systems and methods for access to data resources in multi-mainframe or hybrid computing environments.
In a typical multi-mainframe computing environment, a mainframe can include multiple servers. For example, in a System z hybrid environment, an IBM® System z mainframe (e.g., zEnterprise® 196) is coupled to IBM® blades housed in one or more IBM® BladeCenters®. The coupling is accomplished by Ethernet networks via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). If any data needs to be transferred from the mainframe to a server, the data passes over the Ethernet network. Applications in specific servers, which involve high volume and high speed data transfers, such as database accesses (e.g., via Direct Access Storage Devices (DASD)) within the multi-mainframe computing environment can perform considerable processing that may impact other work in a mainframe.
With a suitable channel implementation on a server coordinating the data transfers, it is possible for the coordinating server and other servers within the mainframe to share access to the same database storage devices (e.g., DASD). As such, the coordinating server can directly access the data and load the data without requiring much mainframe processing or transfer over the Ethernet network.
In the mainframe running a multi-mainframe operating system that manages concurrently hosted units of work (e.g., z/OS®), there are mechanisms (e.g., Resource Access Control Facility by IBM®) to ensure that only authorized users are allowed to access the data prior to transferring it to the coordinator server. However, no such mechanisms exist on many servers, which do not run the multi-mainframe operating system. Also there is a concern that software running on the server could make unauthorized accesses to data on the DASD devices.